SCATHING: Mayawati agrees with BJP on its assessment of Rahul Gandhi's 'NYAY' minimum income scheme, calls it 'Garibi Hatao 2.0' and a bluff

Less than two days since the Congress announced its Rs 72,000 per year minimum income guarantee 'NYAY' promise for the weakest 20% of India's poor, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has delivered a scathing assessment of the scheme.

Taking to Twitter, Mayawati has sided with the BJP on its view that the Congress scheme entails a redux of the 1970s 'Garibi Hatao' slogan, calling it a bluff. However, she then trains her guns on both the national parties, asking the BJP whether reneging on poll promises it its sole domain.

She goes on to say that both BJP and Congress are birds of the same feather when it comes to betraying the interests of the poor, labourers, farmers and others.

The attack on the Congress is but the latest example of how the two regional powers in Uttar Pradesh - BSP and SP - have turned against the Rahul Gandhi-led party in the crucial period ahead of the elections. The parties were expected to form a poll alliance in the electorally critical state but weren't able to do so as a result of which Uttar Pradesh will witness a tripartite contest in the Lok Sabha elections.

Mayawati, who will not be contesting the Lok Sabha elections herself has nonetheless expressed her Prime Ministerial candidate aspirations, explaining her decision to not run in a tweet which claimed that should she have to become the Prime Minister or a minister, she would have six months to become a member of Parliament.

She will also be campaigning for her old rival Mulayam Singh in his bid to be elected from Mainpuri.

The Congress NYAY promise has been widely discussed since its announcement for its lack of detailing. The BJP has put forth its view that the Modi government is already giving India's poor more than what the Congress is promising - encapsulated in a blog post with facts and figures by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.